Ohh, this book made me uncomfortabel a lot, and I finished it rather fast because it absolutely would not wait.
I liked how it didn't shy away from many issues, and I liked Lisbeth, but I disliked how the protagonist was very, very Mary Sue-ish. Not sure if I'm going to read the other parts.
A generic trilogy end to a generic fantasy trilogy, including the Big Reveal and the Sacrifice and the Hero all coming together. Still enjoyable to read.
Still a very cool generic fantasy book, although no good female characters came along.
Just a review to remind myself what happened here and why I liked the book.
We meet Mhari again! Bob is amazingly grown-up about it. Everybody realizes they get played early on … and still: people die. A lot of them. Including Angleton. Because their opponent is a century-old PHANG.
Written very smoothly, Stross is really in his element here. Feels effortless, and is easy to read.
I just really enjoyed this book. It is pure and classic fantasy. Not very sophisticated, but very very enjoyable, especially since I have a thing for training stories and an out-of-the-ashes arc.